Hallmark+'s Finding Mr. Christmas Has Reality TV's Best Elimination Catchphrase

"The tribe has spoken." "Please pack your knives and go." "You're fired!" Sometimes the marker of a good reality television show is a memorable elimination catchphrase. Hallmark+'s first competition series, Finding Mr. Christmas — which follows 10 ordinary guys vying for a lead role in a Hallmark holiday movie through various challenges — just catapulted itself onto the top of the list.

In the first elimination of the series, Finding Mr. Christmas host and co-creator Jonathan Bennett presented the 10 hopefuls with the brutal reality that one of them was leaving the competition following a "meet-cute" acting challenge with Hallmark actress Erin Cahill. As the men nervously stood on the kitschy winter wonderland set, Bennett doled out punny line after punny line — "Does this place send a chill up your spine?," "Two of you are on thin ice…" — expected for a network known for its cheeky Christmas movie titles. 

When it came time to eliminate the weakest link, Bennett unveiled his Finding Mr. Christmas exit tagline for the first time when he sent Southern California firefighter Isaac Ramirez packing. "It's time to take your stocking down. You're going home for the holidays," Bennett said in one of the kindest sackings of a contestant on a reality program. 

Coming up with the ideal catchphrase that was Hallmark-appropriate, holiday-friendly, and let's be honest, a little cheesy, was more difficult than anticipated. There was pressure, after all, to create a pithy send-off that had staying power and was worth repeating every episode. "We tested a bunch of catchphrases and this one just felt right," Bennett, who previously hosted MTV's Copycat and Food Network's Cake Wars, told TV Guide. 

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Other catchphrases that were workshopped but ultimately rejected: "That's a wrap on you," leaning into the double meaning of the word wrapped, and a simpler one, "You're cut." There was also another slogan involving a chimney pun "that didn't work out," Bennett revealed.

He and the Finding Mr. Christmas team crowdsourced their options, weeding out the ones that lacked holiday zest based on their reactions. "We tested [them] on each other. You would say them and see which one got a laugh. That one gets a laugh, that's it."

Though he admitted his memory was foggy with regards to the genesis of the final catchphrase, Bennett believed he was the one who came up with it. "I think I said it [first] and then we tweaked it," the Mean Girls actor recalled.

Telling an eliminated contestant he was "going home for the holidays" instead of something a little more dry also softened the blow.

"It's the Hallmark way. We have to be nice about it because we're Hallmark," Bennett said. "We want to be warm and gentle so we can't be too cutthroat. If you say, 'You're going home for the holidays,' it gives you that little kiss at the end. Really, it's OK. Don't worry, buddy. You got it!"

The supportive environment on Finding Mr. Christmas, even though only one winner is crowned by the end of the season, is what Bennett believed sets the show apart from other reality TV. Each episode features a mini "Festive Face-off" mission, such as an ugly sweater decorating competition, that's followed by the main "Star Quality" challenge where classic tropes that would show up in a "Hallmark bingo card" are gamified, like the heart-fluttering first kiss or a dramatic apology scene.

"We're testing all the things that we've come to find our Hallmark leading men have: humor, heart, charisma, charm, and kindness," Bennett said. "Are they a good person? Are they kind? Do they care about others? Do they help others? Do they make us laugh? Do they have that twinkle in their eye that you can't explain that makes them a star above everyone else?"

Bennett acknowledged the criteria for judging the contestants' performances was fluid; measuring the intangibles held more value over who could stand on their mark. "Yes, they have to have charm, but it's the thing you can't explain. I think that's what our Hallmark stars have when you watch them on screen."

Once the competition is narrowed down to the final three contestants, they're put through a Hallmark screen test. The prize for the winner is a lead role in Hallmark Channel's Happy Howlidays, starring opposite Jessica Lowndes.

ALSO READ: Hallmark's Christmas movie calendar 2024

"We knew [Finding Mr. Christmas] was going to be sexy and funny. What we didn't expect is how courageous and brave our contestants were to open up and be vulnerable and share their personal stories and things they're scared about, things that the audience can connect with," Bennett said. 

In success, Bennett sees a future where Finding Mr. Christmas could serve as "a different avenue for Hallmark to find new talent" — and "change reality television for the better."

"It's American Idol and Kelly Clarkson. America's going to watch his dream [come true], and by watching him succeed, fail, and work through all the things he works through, they're going to connect with him," he said. "And when they're connected, that's how you build a fanbase. We're really providing an investment of a star that will come to the network with his first movie with a fanbase intact, which has never happened."

Finding Mr. Christmas is streaming now on Hallmark+, with new episodes dropping every Thursday. The winner will star in Happy Howlidays, airing Saturday, Dec. 21 on Hallmark Channel.

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